THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court’s governing body said on Thursday it regretted any attempts to undermine the ICC’s independence following U.S. moves to sanction it in protest at its arrest warrants Israel’s prime minister and former defence chief over the Gaza war.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted for the sanctions this month after the ICC issued the arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gazaconflict. Israel rejects the allegations.
On his first day in office this week, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order which reinstated an earlier executive order that could serve as a legal basis for future sanctions against the ICC and its personnel. No specific sanctions have been announced yet.
In a statement, the ICC’s governing body said that sanctions against the court and its personnel – and anyone assisting them – could severely hamper ongoing investigations.
It said it “regrets any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality.”
The ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression of the territory of member states or by their nationals.
The court has said its decision to pursue warrants against the Israeli officials was in line with its approach in all cases, based on an assessment by the prosecutor that there was enough evidence to proceed, and the view that seeking arrest warrants immediately could prevent ongoing crimes.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
